FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2026
PRESS CONTACT: Clare Lefebure
Press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
WASHINGTON, DC (August 12, 2026) – Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists announced that the San Francisco Bay Times is the 2026 recipient of the Legacy Award. This award recognizes an outlet, publication or news organization that has exhibited innovative, high-quality and sustained news coverage of the LGBTQ+ community over an extended period of time.
Founded in 1978, the San Francisco Bay Times was the first newspaper in California to be jointly and equally produced by LGBTQ+ women and men, and one of the first in the world to do so. Nearly 50 years later, it’s the only one of those papers still publishing, a run that earned it Legacy Business status from the City of San Francisco in 2021. The paper is taught in gender studies and LGBTQ+ history classes across SFUSD, community colleges, and universities, and it runs the 24/7 Castro Street Cam, five cameras covering Castro Street, the Castro Theatre, Harvey Milk Plaza, and Jane Warner Plaza, giving LGBTQ+ people around the world a direct line to the neighborhood. Locally, it keeps up an active events program marking Black History Month, AAPI Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and more.
“The San Francisco Bay Times has been a reliable source for our community for almost fifty years,” said Adam Pawlus, Executive Director of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. “This paper helped open doors for queer journalists, and it’s still doing that work today, supporting and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities. We’re honored to recognize their commitment to queer journalism.”
The outlets, publications or news organizations recognized by the Legacy Award have exemplified NLGJA’s mission to promote and foster fair and accurate LGBTQ+ news coverage. The Legacy Award is the association’s only award that is presented to an outlet, publication or news organization to recognize the work of its entire staff, rather than an individual. Previous awards have gone to The Advocate, Philadelphia Gay News, the Bay Area Reporter, the Windy City Times and the Washington Blade.
The award will be presented at NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists’ 2026 National Convention in San Fransisco.
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